Quentin Tarantino

Like John Carpenter, Quentin Tarantino is partial to casting stars and not-quite-stars of previous decades in his films, giving them an agreeably iconic treatment and their best roles in years. Like Robert Altman he has a gift for casting stars and not-quite-stars of the present and either completely transforming them or throwing their semi-established personas into sharp focus, providing them with their starmaking roles. Sometimes, as with John Travolta and Steve Buscemi, it becomes a pivotal moment in the actor's career, sometimes, uhm, less so.

Rosanna Arquette / Jody in Pulp FictionPre-Tarantino: Rising star of the early and mid 1980s. Her career got sidetracked after she co-starred with Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan. Since then has been appearing in supporting roles and minor productions.
Post-Tarantino: More of the same, although there has been an improvement in the quality of her output.

Bruce Willis / Butch Coolidge in Pulp FictionPre-Tarantino: Had a series of flops circa 1991-1994, approximately between his two Die Hard sequels. Accepted his role in Pulp Fiction for $800,000, a fraction of his usual fee.
Post-Tarantino: Received favorable notices for his role, had a lot of commercial success in the mid and late 1990s and has been much more favorable to appearing in uncommercial or low-budget productions ever since.